One thing that you will hear any Apple developer saying is it takes way too long to get distribute the iOS apps using the standard App Store channels.
This can be a big problem if you’re trying to distribute your app to a closed group of users, such as employees or beta testers.
Don’t lose hope, as this method will help you to distribute your app without having to spend way much time. Ultimately with or without App Store, that choice is solely yours.
In this article, we will go through various methods of app distribution in both cases.
Let us start with methods of distribution without App Store.
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Ad-Hoc Deployment Using the Apple Developer Program
After custom iOS mobile app design and development by using various tools, this app deployment method works wonderfully when the app distribution is limited to a small number of users. You can perform ad-hoc deployment using the program’s provisioning profile for the app distribution without App Store.
This is great for testing your apps before releasing them on iTunes or Google Play! It’s also useful if you want to try out some new features before they become widely available in other markets or regions.
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Enterprise In-House App Deployment
Want to distribute your app to internal devices? Enterprise In-House App Deployment is all you need. This is particularly useful if you want to deploy your app on your own devices or in other corporate environments.
Does this mean that this method limits you from distributing the app outside of your enterprise devices? Not at all.
The provisioning profile will allow them access because it has been installed on their device through iTunes Connect or Xcode Project Manager after approval from Apple’s servers.
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In-House Deployment With the Apple Developer Enterprise Program
For Distributing an app that does not involve the App store, what could be better to start with than the Apple Developer Enterprise Program?
The program gives companies full access to all of Apple’s developer tools and services, including Xcode, Instruments and TestFlight. This means if you want to build apps but do not want to submit them to App Store, go ahead, though it is a lot more difficult than it sounds.
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B2B VPP App Deployment Method
This program is for apps that are sold through the Apple App Store. The B2B VPP app deployment method is a new way to distribute your iOS app. Apple has finally allowed developers to create their own distribution method and earn revenue from it.
It allows you to purchase one app per user, with a maximum of five apps per account. The price of the app will be based on the number of users you have in your account.
The B2B VPP app deployment method is the most popular among small businesses because it allows you to easily and quickly distribute your iOS applications without using any third-party distribution platforms.
There are several advantages to using this approach.
You don’t have any restrictions on selling or giving away your software; therefore, if someone wants something like that for free, then this will not work out well for them because they can’t get their hands on anything with no strings attached!
You can customize how much money goes into each transaction depending on which plan fits best into their budget, so if someone wants some extra perks added onto their package, then all he/she needs to do is ask ahead of time about those options before making any purchases online.
How to distribute an iOS mobile app through App Store?
The iOS App Store is operated by Apple Inc. and was first launched in 2008. The App Store allows users to browse and download apps developed with Apple’s iOS SDK.
They can choose among the few options to do it the more conventional way, through a custom iOS mobile app design and development company or through a web-based iOS app development platform.
Further, we will explore how the distribution of iPhone apps through the App Store works. There are a few steps involved in doing so.
So hang on and read further to know these steps in detail.
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Getting an Apple developer account.
It is a must if you wish to see your app live on the App store someday. You can register at https://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/.
Now the further the roadmap is as follows.
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Enroll in Apple Developer Program.
It’s a free membership that you can use to submit and test apps after enrolling. You would require a paid membership to distribute your iphone app through App Store.
Once you’ve enrolled, it’s time to submit your app for approval.
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Manage your certificates, App IDs and devices.
All you need is to help your way through the Apple Developer Portal. This is where you can easily manage Apple Developer Portal.
Click on Certificates again until you see your account name at the top of the list (it will be something like “Developer Name”).
You should now see a list of all of your certificates that are associated with this account name (some may have been created by one developer or another). If there aren’t any yet—or if they’ve expired—you’ll need to create new ones here!
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Create an iOS provisioning profile for your app.
Next up in line with what you need is the provisioning profile.
You can use your existing developer account or create a new one. If you want an Apple ID for testing purposes, it’s free to use that as well.
Create a unique App ID for each app that will be added to the store. This is where users will see any sort of purchase information or other features that relate specifically to this particular product (e.g., “Buy now!”).
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Create an app listing in iTunes Connect.
Yes, you will have to create a new app listing.
It is as simple as going to the App Store > Your Apps tab and clicking on New App.
Once you have entered all of the necessary information into iTunes Connect, click Submit for Approval button at the bottom left corner of the page as shown below:
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Archiving and submitting your application via Xcode.
Just as you submit a new project in Xcode, enter the Apple Developer Portal and choose your app from categories such as “iOS Apps” and “iPhone Apps.”
After you select your app category, you’ll see a list of all the apps that are already available within that category. Click on the “Submit for Review” button next to yours (or just click on it).
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After you’ve submitted your build to App Store
Now that you’ve submitted your app after custom iOS mobile app design and development, it’s time to wait. The approval process can take up to a week or two (or longer), depending on the complexity of your app and how many people are looking at it.
Once approved, you’ll receive an email with a link that will allow you to download the new version of your app in the App Store—and after that, it’s life!
Conclusion
Getting your app into App Store is a lot of work, but it’s well worth it. Once you’ve got your app up there, the sky’s the limit.
Hopefully, this article has helped you understand how to distribute your iOS app and make the most of it.
